


don't think my heart is just a hard drive

by Shadowcrawler



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - Terminator Fusion, Ballet, Dancing, F/F, Femslash, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Robots, Skimmons Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26474410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcrawler/pseuds/Shadowcrawler
Summary: While processing a recent discovery about her mother, Daisy walks in on the beautiful killer robot who is supposed to protect her at all costs...dancing.(a Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles AU)
Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Jiaying & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22
Collections: Bioquake Week 2020





	don't think my heart is just a hard drive

**Author's Note:**

> For Bioquake Week day 4, Futuristic AU. Sort of.
> 
> This was inspired by chunks of an episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that I repurposed, notably [this sequence of Cameron dancing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUsLvqzszVE) as well as a subplot about John discovering Sarah had relinquished her parental rights while held in a mental hospital. In the context of the episode, the dance scene is John's uncle watching Cameron dance in both awe and horror while Sarah's voiceover has some existential thoughts about how robots can't appreciate beauty or art. I have reworked it so that it's slightly horny because I can. 
> 
> Basically, what you need to know is that Daisy will be the future savior of humanity when Skynet rises and takes over the world with robots and AI, but at the moment she's an angsty teen. Jemma is a Terminator sent back by her older self to protect her. Jiaying is Daisy's mother, previously having been hospitalized after she tried to tell everyone about Skynet. Melinda is Jiaying's sister because in TSCC Derek Reese is John's uncle and I wanted her to be here too. There are some prior parts to this, not entirely necessary to read, but the first of which, also Daisy/ Jemma, is [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22518460/chapters/54595495#workskin) and that links to the original part that is Melinda/Kara. Also you should watch TSCC, it's very good.

Daisy doesn’t really mean to snoop. She just happens to see the video tape sticking out of Jiaying’s bag. The video tape that has J. JOHNSON, PESCADERO STATE HOSPITAL, 6/8/99 written on it in black Sharpie.

Daisy’s blood feels like ice, but she picks up the tape and goes into her room.

On the tape, her mom sits in a chair in front of a desk, looking sullen and suspicious. A man sits on the other side, smiling slightly. “Ms. Johnson, I’m from DCFS. I have some paperwork you need to sign. Everything’s in order, we just have to cross the t’s and dot the i’s.”

Jiaying says nothing, just glares.

“This states that you voluntarily and unequivocally consent to terminate your parental rights, and that you have been advised of the legal consequences of this relinquishment,” the man continues breezily. “Additionally, by signing you indicate that you understand that your consent to this termination of parental rights is irrevocable.”

Jiaying nods, just once.

“Very good. Sign here, please.” She does, and then the man says, “Great, we’ll get a certified copy to the judge. Thanks for your cooperation, Ms. Johnson.”

Daisy doesn’t even realize she’s crying until she feels a tear splash onto her hand.

She stands up, vision blurry from tears, and barrels outside. She’s not even sure where she’s going, she just knows that if she runs into Melinda or Jemma or, god forbid, her mom, she’s going to explode. With a shuddering laugh, she realizes using that expression would probably hurt her mom a lot. _Good_.

She paces around the block for a few minutes, until her eyes stop burning, and then she walks to the arcade and plays a few rounds of Street Fighter until she no longer feels the anger simmering beneath her skin. Then she walks back home, hoping that everyone will still be gone. Her mom left early this morning following “a lead,” Melinda’s probably getting supplies, and Jemma’s been going to that ballet class taught by the sister of the Russian gangster Jiaying is looking for. 

Daisy opens the front door, listens for a second (as is her habit) and doesn’t hear anyone inside. So she heads in, considering an angry nap. 

She’s fully not expecting to see Jemma in Jiaying’s bedroom, dancing.

Daisy should leave her alone. She should turn around and walk away and leave the weird robot to whatever weird robot stuff she’s doing. But instead she pauses in the doorway and watches. 

Jemma’s face is expressionless, as it often is, and she starts standing on her toes, then leans forward with her arms circled in front of her (as if she’s holding a basket) and bends her knees gracefully while her right foot slide forward. She uses that foot to push off the ground, sweeping her leg around elegantly as she brings her arms up above her head in fifth position. Then she slides her right leg behind her as she lowers her arms, perfectly in sync. She raises her right arm above her head again and pushes off her right foot, then suddenly bends her knees and brings her arms down with them. In a single fluid motion, she lets her arms arc over her head and then brings her left leg up behind her, balancing on her right leg for a moment. Then she switches, slowly bending her left knee and then kicking out her foot. 

She dances a few steps across the room, perfectly balanced, and does an elegant slow spin so that she’s facing Daisy, then spins again, arms flowing around and above her body. Back and forth she goes, her movements both precise and perfect. She seems to be working off of a routine that she’s seen someone else perform. Daisy has no idea what the names for any of the moves Jemma’s doing are, and she doesn’t care. She can’t look away. 

Finally, Jemma seems to reach the end of the routine, letting her left leg slide out to lower her body slowly towards the ground as she raises her arms above her head, crossed at the wrists. Her back is to Daisy, and she’s given no indication that she knows Daisy is even there. Daisy should step away now, but she can’t move.

Jemma carefully stands up and then turns around. “Hello, Daisy,” she says. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by Daisy watching her, or annoyed. She doesn’t seem to be happy about it either, but that’s normal. 

Daisy swallows. “Hi. Uh. You were dancing.”

“Yes.” Jemma tilts her head. “I’ve learned a lot from Ms. Ivanov. I was practicing.”

“I don’t know that you need the practice,” Daisy says with an awkward laugh. Jemma doesn’t laugh, of course. “Is it just you here?”

“Jiaying is still trying to track down Anton Ivanov, and Melinda has been running errands for several hours. It seems inefficient to take several hours to run errands.”

“Yeah, well, I think she’s probably just trying to get out of the house,” sighs Daisy. “Can’t blame her, I did that earlier.”

“You seem agitated,” Jemma observes. “Your heart rate is accelerated, as is your breathing. You don’t seem to have participated in any physical exertion that would explain that, so I am hypothesizing the cause is your emotional state.”

Daisy grits her teeth. “I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Jemma says. “Future you doesn’t lie to me. You tell me when you’re angry or upset or sad. You say it helps to have someone to listen.”

“Yeah, well, future me isn’t now-me.” Daisy heads for her room.

Jemma follows, of course. “Physical activity sometimes helps release negative emotions,” she says. “Perhaps you could go for a jog.”

“Already went walking,” Daisy says, flopping down on her bed. 

Jemma lies down next to her. “Does it have to do with the video tape in your mother’s bag?”

“How do you know about that?”

“I know the approximate timeline of your entire life, Daisy, particularly significant dates. I noticed that the tape was labeled with your mother’s name, the hospital where she was receiving treatment, and a date. I extrapolated from there.”

“Yeah, great detective work.” Daisy shuts her eyes. “It’s...it’s a tape that shows her signing paperwork to give up parental rights.”

Jemma’s quiet for a moment. “You find this upsetting,” she says finally.

“Of course I do,” Daisy snaps. “She was totally lucid in the video. She signed the damn paper of her own free will! Like it was nothing! Like I was…” She chokes on the last word and swallows another round of hot tears. The last thing she needs is to cry in front of her hot robot bodyguard. 

Jemma just looks at her, unblinking. “You aren’t nothing. Your mother knows that more than anyone. If you were nothing, she wouldn’t have tried so hard to get to you.”

“I guess.” Daisy’s eyes are starting to burn again, so she changes the subject. “Why were you dancing?”

“I told you.” Jemma sounds a bit surprised, in as much as she can sound surprised. “I need to practice. Dancers have to practice every day.”

“But you’re not really a dancer,” Daisy points out. “You can just like, learn the steps perfectly by watching someone and then calculating what to do, right?”

"Theoretically, yes."

“You sure didn’t seem to need any more practice from what I saw,” Daisy says with a little snort. “You looked...beautiful.” Her voice goes a little soft on the last word, which is embarrassing.

“Thank you,” Jemma says. “Ms. Ivanov said I needed to start at the beginner class. My stance was nice, but my upper body was too mechanical. I wanted to learn to do a _pas de chat._ ”

“Oh,” Daisy says. “I don’t know what any of the steps are called, but you didn’t look mechanical at all to me.”

“That’s why I had to practice,” Jemma says with a little nod. “I can do _pas de chat_ now.”

Daisy nods. “Why did you want to learn to do that? I thought your whole thing was like, smashing through doors and punching guys in the face.”

“My mission is to protect you,” Jemma agrees. “But I wanted to try something new. I thought it might be...interesting.”

At that, Daisy’s so surprised she laughs a little. “You...you picked up ballet as a _hobby_?”

“I suppose so, yes.” Jemma looks at her guilelessly. “I liked watching the dancer do the _pas de chat_ and I wanted to see if I could too.”

“Wow.” Daisy props herself up on her elbow to look over at Jemma. “A robot who likes to dance. That’s pretty funny.”

Jemma’s brow furrows ever so slightly. “Why?”

“I guess because dancing is such a human thing? Even ballet - it’s supposed to look perfect, but we want to know that it’s a human person doing all that. We want to imagine that _we_ could maybe do that, if we trained hard enough. And you can just learn it like a computer could, but you want to practice so you make it look natural.”

“Yes. I want it to look beautiful, like you said.” 

“That routine earlier, you saw someone else do it and you were copying them, right?”

“Some of it. Some of it I made up.” Jemma looks sort of proud of herself, if Terminators can feel pride. 

“Wow. Don’t tell Melinda or my mom,” Daisy teases, “they’ll lose their shit if they think you’re able to make up dance routines.”

Jemma blinks. “Why?”

“‘Cause...they’ll think you’re learning too much, or something. And you’re appreciating art. I bet the idea of Terminators enjoying art freaks Mom out.”

“We don’t want to freak her out,” Jemma says. 

Daisy smirks, flopping back down on her side. “Hearing you use slang sounds so weird.”

“I learned it from you,” Jemma says, rolling over so they’re face to face. “And others, but mostly you.”

Daisy opens her mouth to say something else, but suddenly she realizes how close their bodies are, and how easy it would be to lean over and kiss Jemma. Which is a very weird thing that she _should not be thinking_ , but…

And then, before she can figure out what the hell she actually wants, Jiaying is standing in the doorway. “Daisy,” she says, face unreadable. “Can I speak to you?”

“About what?” Daisy hears how bratty she sounds and decides she doesn’t care. 

“Something important.” Jiaying’s eyes narrow slightly. “Jemma, could you give us a moment alone?”

“Yes.” Jemma gets up from the bed, glances at Daisy one more time, then at Jiaying, before leaving the room.

Jiaying comes over to sit on the end of Daisy’s bed. Daisy rolls onto her back. “What?” she asks, not bothering to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“You watched the tape.” It isn’t a question.

“Yeah, I did.” Daisy shuts her eyes to stop the burning behind them. It only sort of works. 

“I didn’t want you to see it,” Jiaying says slowly. “Mackenzie had it. I only took it to destroy it. But since you watched it, did you notice the date?”

“It’s the date you gave up being my mother, I guess,” Daisy snaps, turning away from her. “So now I know that.”

“That’s the date I broke out.” Jiaying’s voice is thick. “The day you came to get me, I was going to look for you. Because the second after I signed that paper, I knew I couldn’t live with it. I was going to get you back, or die trying.”

Daisy swallows so she won’t cry. That’s a hell of a thing to process after being so angry for hours. “Yeah, and you almost did.”

“So did you.”

“I know. You really gave me shit for it too.” Daisy tilts her head so she can look Jiaying in the eye and smirk. “You were so mad. You’d never yelled at me like that before.”

“I was terrified,” Jiaying admits. She reaches out like she’s going to put her hand on Daisy’s arm, then stops. “I couldn’t imagine seeing you again, only to lose you because of a stupid mistake. I won’t ask you to understand everything I’ve done for you, but please know that I’ll always find you, bǎobèi.”

“And I’ll always find you,” Daisy says, and realizes she means it.

\---

After dinner, Jemma wanders into her room while she’s doing her homework. “I’d like to dance for you again,” she says, sitting down on Daisy’s bed.

Daisy, who’s in the middle of a particularly grueling algebra problem, glances up and blinks. “What?”

“I’d like to dance for you again,” Jemma repeats. She watches Daisy for a second. “Would you like that?”

“Uh,” Daisy says, because her horny brain is fighting with her “don’t be a creep” brain. “Yes?”

“You don’t sound confident in your answer.” Jemma tilts her head. “I don’t have to.”

“No, I - I’d like that,” says Daisy quickly. “Please.”

Jemma smiles, and it looks like a real smile this time. “Good.”


End file.
